UPDATED: UI's Hogan resigns; Easter is president-designate

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Embattled University of Illinois President Michael Hogan has resigned and Robert Easter will take the job in July.

Hogan was named the 18th president of the UI in May 2010. Before that he had served as president of the seven-campus University of Connecticut.

Hogan had been scheduled to appear Thursday morning before a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee in Springfield, but the session was abruptly canceled Wednesday evening. The committee chairman, Ken Dunkin, told state Rep. Chapin Rose that Hogan said he could not make it to the hearing.

His resignation had been under discussion this week, "culminating today," according to UI spokesman Tom Hardy.

Hogan will remain with the UI as a tenured faculty member, according to a release from the university.

"It has been a distinct honor and privilege to serve as President of the University of Illinois," Hogan said in the release. "While the University has faced some significant organizational and budgetary challenges over the past several years, we have initiated the reforms necessary to modernize and streamline our business functions and redirect the savings to academic purposes. The underpinnings of this great institution are sound."

The UI Board of Trustees' executive committee will meet on Friday to consider an agreement with Hogan and one with Robert Easter, who will be the president-designate. Hogan's resignation will be effective July 1. Here is a link to the agenda[3] of the emergency meeting.

His resignation comes at the end of months of tumult on the Urbana campus, including faculty anger over Hogan's attempts to centralize enrollment management for the UI's three campuses and anonymous emails traced by investigators to his chief of staff, Lisa Troyer, who then resigned. Several letters signed by scores of the most influential faculty on campus had criticized Hogan's leadership, and a recentl letter signed by more than 100 professors urged the trustees to fire Hogan as quickly as possible.

Early this month, truistees called an emergency meeting and instructed Hogan to mend fences with the faculty.

Joyce Tolliver, vice chairwoman of the Senate Executive Committee, said she believes that many of the faculty’s conflicts with Hogan had to do with shared governance.

She believes those conflicts will be resolved under Easter’s tenure, not because Hogan resigned but because Easter is such an able leader.

“I think there is no one better to be leading the university when President Hogan steps down,” Tolliver said.

She said she gives President Hogan credit for making a difficult decision, “which I think is the right one."

“I wish President and Mrs. Hogan all the best in their new roles in the university,” Tolliver said.

Easter, 64, had been interim chancellor after Richard Herman resigned as part of the Category I admissions scandal. He has had a long career at the UI that included seven years as dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

In a statement from the UI, Easter said, "I have been a part of the University of Illinois — as an alumnus, member of the faculty, administrator, researcher and probably half-a-dozen other jobs — for almost four decades. I love this University and the people who work here. I am committed to our students and all of our campuses. And, it is for this reason that I accept the responsibilities as President and pledge to move forward energetically and collaboratively with an agenda that reaffirms the University of Illinois’ special place among the very best of institutions of higher learning in the United States. I have no doubt that, working together, we will get the job done.”

March 22, 2012
I write today to inform you that University of Illinois President Michael
J. Hogan has tendered his resignation, and I have accepted it on behalf of
the Board of Trustees. President Hogan will remain with the University as
President through a transition period until July 1.
President Hogan joined the University at a very challenging time, when it
had just weathered a long and very public controversy around admissions
and enrollment practices, had major gaps in the administrative team, and
was under such significant financial constraint that furloughs and salary
freezes were required. The Board sought out a reform-minded leader and was
glad to find Mike Hogan, a veteran and accomplished educational leader
with a distinguished record, who was committed to carrying out an
exhaustive mandate of change with a sense of necessary urgency. We were
not the only university pursuing him. Ultimately, he chose to lead the
University of Illinois because of its reputation and his belief that he
could make a difference.
In his nearly two years as President, Mike accomplished a great deal, and
the University owes him a debt of gratitude for moving a number of tough
initiatives forward. Among the achievements: the University netted more
than $30 million in recurring annual savings through major administrative
efficiencies that have been reallocated to support academic and research
programs, offsetting declines in state funding and late payments from the
state. He has successfully recruited a highly talented leadership team and
implemented the first merit-based salary increase in three years. There
have been no furlough days on his watch. During his tenure, state
appropriations have remained essentially level, notwithstanding the state
budget crisis.
It has not been easy. Some of what Mike Hogan was compelled to do was not
popular, but he did what this University needed over the past 20 months,
and we thank him for his hard work, perseverance, and achievement.
The Board feels that the most appropriate next step in university
leadership should come from a proven administrator with a track record of
collaboration and success within our University.
On Friday, the Executive Committee of the Board will meet to appoint
long-time University of Illinois leader Robert Easter to assume the role
of president-designate. Bob stepped up for this university in some of our
toughest days, as interim chancellor immediately following the
disappointing and disruptive days of 2009, and he repaired and rebuilt the
campus both literally and figuratively. Bob started at the U. of I. as a
doctoral student, and then 36 years ago, as a faculty member. He was dean
of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences before
acting as interim provost and then interim chancellor, then retiring, just
briefly, last October. He came back again and currently serves as interim
vice chancellor for research on the Urbana campus. Dr. Easter views this
University as a great educator of students and a research powerhouse
destined to fulfill our land-grant mission though new ideas that create
businesses, jobs and new taxes to benefit the state. He has the trust of
alumni and trustees past and present, as well as faculty, administrators
and staff, and always, the best interest of students at heart. Following a
transition period, he will be president beginning July 1.
The Board joins me in wishing Mike well and in welcoming Bob back to play
another key role for our beloved University of Illinois.
Sincerely,
Christopher G. Kennedy
Chairman, Board of Trustees

Welcome back Dr. Easter! Finally a leader who knows the University and it's ins and outs. From a great professor, to administrator, to interim. He has shown professionalism, poise and collaboration. Good choice BOT!

Please re-read the email sent by Chris Kennedy. Bob Easter will be President-Designate through June 30. Effective July 1, he will become President. I suspect he'll be around a few years until the consequences of recent scandals have died down. Only at that point can UI conduct a search and expect to hire new President of sufficiently high calibur.

Geez!! Don't get carried away with the euphoria of today. Hogan will get his pay out, and teach History part time. Dr. Troyer's fate is yet to be determined. It will be a take it, or leave it deal to remain in Psychology. At least, this current scandal will go away under the rug.

A quick check reveals Stukel retired at 68, Ikenberry at 60, and Corbally at 65. In any case, no one expects Dr. Easter to be another David Henry.

Perhaps when all is said and done, the BOT knew what it was asking Hogan to do would be devisive, and thus recruited someone at the end of their career because they foresaw him being here only a couple years?

Your local legislators on the Appropriations Higher Education Committee are Chapin Rose, and Naomi Jakobsson. Which, either, both, or none may had an opinion that Hogan did not want to face is not known.

Sure sounds like it. A 25 minute Emergency Meeting of the U. of I. Board of Trustees looks like a done deal. The terms of the deal have already been made to all parties. Just a 25 minute formality to sign names. Dr. Troyer may have been part of the deal also. Don't expect the terms of the deal to be announced in the near future. Someone is probably devastated in the History Dept. tonight.

This is not a surprise. Things were unwinding over these past several days, and the amount of problems for Hogan had reached a level that simply could not be overcome. When the named chairs requested Hogan’s resignation a couple of weeks ago, that was the real beginning of the end. Discussion now should center on why Kennedy has been allowed to run roughshod over the University. So-called “powerful Board chairs” have never worked well at the University, and there has simply been too much deference to Kennedy by the Board of Trustees and star-struck faculty members. Kennedy and a few allies are taking actions that have the effect of redistributing resources and goodwill from the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Urbana campus in order to boost the Chicago and Springfield campuses. This is neither appropriate nor beneficial for the State, and is not the policy of the Illinois General Assembly, which has been kept entirely in the dark. Kennedy is responsible for having recruited Hogan with assistance from former president Ikenberry -- who shares personal responsibility for this hire as well as several other unqualified University administration hires. When the pressed to make the Kennedy changes, Hogan was too weak or powerless to resist – and had no friends or allies across the University. It is a relief to see that the Trustees reached out to Dr. Easter as the next President. Easter has the knowledge, talent and backbone to lead the University in an informed and ethical manner. Let’s hope he does some rapid house cleaning and presses forward with a reasonable vision, and without meddling from Kennedy. None of this would have happened if a group of do-gooders led by Jim Edgar had not made the Trustee positions appointed. What was intended to “remove politics” from the Board actually guaranteed that politics would entirely saturate University operations.

Before Hogan, and before the new BOT, their was a crisis at the UI particularly at the UIUC campus. A President was run out of office and a crisis had developed regarding admissions among other things. Now I have to ask "was there shared governance at that time"? I think that a timeline would show that there was. The faculty was just as responsible as the administrators. So the question that begs to be asked is "where is the element of accountibility on the UIUC campus for the faculty as well as the administration?" The BOT is there to represent the people of this state and must hold these people accountable. They have now run a second President out of office. Do we now see that they have no control over the faculty? The faculty can and has threatened to leave thus "destroying a world class university". I say let them go if they want from their cushy jobs. There will be others who will follow.

His contract, as posted in this newspaper, says that upon his return to the faculty, he will be paid the average of the highest 10 salaries of "University faculty" (excluding the college of medicine and dentistry). What counts as "University faculty"? For example, does the football coach count? How about other administrators?

You're most likely right, but are you sure? For example, Paterno at Penn State was fired from is coaching job, not his "tenured faculty position". Also, the reference is not to full professors, but should include all professors (even of lower rank), although in practice the highest paid ones are the full ones.

This is the result of a Board that has ceded control of the university to a rogue group of faculty who are well organized and vocal about not wanting to change. This board hired a strong president who it thought could implement it’s agenda which included changes in a very tight budget situation. From all available accounts he was succeeding. Unfortunately, when this rogue group of faculty realized they were going to have to teach and do research they yelled and hollered and screamed unfair! No confidence! He is a bully and he plays mean! In a panic, the board calls an emergency meeting to tell the president your doing a good job but you have to play nicer. Are you kidding me? I have some advice for this board. Eliminate the presidency and all of the university level administrators and let all three campuses run independently. This way you won’t have to man up and back your president when a handful of tenured faculty realize they are going to have to run a class room or actually earn a grant. Short of this, Kennedy and his group can look west to their neighbor and see how a real board runs a state university. When that president carried out the boards orders and was put under fire by the faculty for making hard decisions what did the board do? Unanimous support for the president. Shame on you Kennedy!

@mcleanm72: Clearly you have NO idea of the damage Hogan has done to UI. Likely it was indeed under pressure from the BOT, but if so, they are too far removed from the realities of the workings of a major research university. My sense is that the current BOT (especially Kennedy) has done way more harm than good for the University of Illinois. Maybe some Illinois residents don't care about the University or believe it is of no consequence to the State. I think it's a travesty to destroy one of the pinnacles of public higher education. Hogan's out (good!). Easter's in (also, good!). Now ... let's deal with the misguided members of the BOT.

Faculty unhappiness with Hogan regarding his handling of the centralization of enrollment management and the Lisa Troyer fiasco is well documented, thanks mainly to media like NG and the Chicago Tribune. Less recognized are the opinions of staff and alumni, many of whom (myself included) have been horrified and disgusted by each new revelation in this strange and distasteful soap opera. Could we seriously be expected to believe, after seeing his treatment of Chancellor Wise and while finding it hard to believe he was completely ignorant during the fake e-mail campaign, that he's the best person to represent the University of Illinois to the world?

Frankly, I hate it that there's a chance that I could one day cross paths with Professor Hogan or with Professor Troyer as I make my way through campus.

Yes! Many alums and employees of UI strongly agree with your sentiment!

Re: "I am proud to be an alum of UIUC and proud to work at the University of Illinois. But Hogan and Troyer make me feel dirty."

Again, YES! Just one of the reasons I'm retiring early from UI this year. Frankly, it's become a personal embarrassment to me to be associated with this organization. I can only hope that better times are on the horizon. If anyone can lead us there, it's Dr. Easter.

I'm sorry to hear you're retiring. What we've read in the news media about Hogan and Troyer certainly is embarrassing, but I hope those "other reasons" are playing a significant role in your early retirement. Granted, I'm years away from any kind of retirement. However, the research unit for which I work has been around for almost 50 years, and my pride in its staff and its accomplishments is what has made the Hogan/Troyer brouhaha even harder to take and made me even more determined to stand up for "what's right" about the University of Illinois.

In many ways, I'm sorry to be retiring this soon, too. Over the past ... 10? years or so ... there have been many, many changes to the UI business systems: accounting, grants & contracts administration, purchasing, inventory, human resources, and more. While I embrace meaningful technilogical advances, these changes at UI have been less than stellar. Worse, without exception, I feel these changes have virtually hog-tied our support staff. We can no longer insulate the faculty, staff and students from the bureaucratic red tape. Systems have become SO complex as to impede business practices at UI. And ... no one listens to the users. Sad.

Many people are retiring prior to July 1st. There will be a big Whoosh... on campus. People with experience will be leaving prior to new staff having adequate training time. I expect more Civil Service jobs will be changed to Academic Professional positions. There will be changes in the pension system which Dr. Easter will have to deal with the Legislature on. The same problems that Hogan was facing representing the Board of Trustees, and the shrinking dollar remain. The only difference is that Dr. Easter is ethical. It is not an eviable position that he will be in prior to retirement.

You're right that there's going to be a "big Whoosh" on July 1 (including myself)! But you won't see any big conversion of positions from Civil Service to Academic Professional. The Civil Service system has been cracking down over the past couple of years. It's almost impossible to get new IT and administrative positions classified as Academic Professional these days. Moreover, CS has been working very hard at having many existing AP positions reclassed as CS, and in many cases they've been successful. Some folks may think this is a good thing. While I understand the premise for Civil Service, it is a terribly restrictive and cumbersome system for both the employee and employer. Really hate to see this reversion. :(

Maybe, the university is cracking down on people working in Civil Service classifications. That would be a reversal of the trend over the last 10, or more years. It does save money since the salaries generally are less. It does allow for more accountability, and less nepotism. It does cut down jobs for graduates though. The Civil Service System is cumbersome as you stated. It does hamper the employer by requiring interviews; and not necessarily hand picking the employee.